Do Not Fret; Do Not Despair

The appointed Epistle reading for today is taken from Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome where we read:

 

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead! If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; and if the root is holy, then the branches also are holy.

 

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, were grafted in their place to share the rich root of the olive tree, do not vaunt yourselves over the branches. If you do vaunt yourselves, remember that it is not you that support the root, but the root that supports you. You will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, perhaps he will not spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity towards those who have fallen, but God’s kindness towards you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. And even those of Israel, if they do not persist in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you have been cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these natural branches be grafted back into their own olive tree. (Rm. 11:13-24).

 

Paul was a very devote Pharisee who loved his Jewish faith.  He loved it so much, that he was blind to what Jesus was all about.  Then on the road to Damascus, Paul “saw the light.”  Paul wanted all of his Jewish brothers and sisters to see what he saw in Jesus, and he wanted to bring them to Christ.  You can sense the his deep desire to do so: “I glorify my ministry in order to make my own people jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead!” 

 

Sometimes in our lives, we are like Paul.  We want what is good for the other person, for them to come to some realization or transformation in their lives.  We do everything in our power to bring that about, but it does not happen and we can fret over it and even despair.  That is not what God wants us to do.  We must remember that it is through God’s grace that people change as Paul says today, God “has the power to graft them in.”  God has also given us the freedom of our wills to accept it or to reject it.  We can pray for others, work for their good, but it is through God’s grace and their free will that transformation occurs.  Paul reminds us of that.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Seaside Seniors, Thursday, 17 July at 11 A.M.  The theme is Independence Day!

 

The Art of Listening: Summer Art Program, starts Monday, 21 July at 10 A.M. every day of the week until 1 P.M.

 

In view of the current happenings in the Middle East and in Africa, as part of our Adult Christian Education, we will read Focus on Islam to better understand Islam and to do a comparison and contrast with our Christian faith.  We have the books, so if you are interested, please check with Fr. Chester for a copy of the book so that you can start reading it.

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski, Vicar

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

St. Benedict of Nursia

Today the Church celebrates the life and ministry of St. Benedict of Nursia who was born around 480 and died on this day in 540.  He is known as the Father of Western Monasticism and is the author of the Rule, now known as the Rule of St. Benedict. 

 

Here is what the Benedictine Sisters of Mount St. Angel write:

 

St. Benedict, born in Nursia, Italy, around the year 480, was the founder of the Benedictine order and is the patron saint of Europe. People throughout the world revere him as the founder of Western monasticism and celebrate his feast day on July 11th.

 

Benedict was the son of wealthy Roman parents, who sent him to study in Rome. He was repelled by the sinful atmosphere there and decided to become a hermit, retiring to a cave near the town of Subiaco. He founded 12 monasteries in the vicinity of Subiaco, and, eventually, founded the great Benedictine monastery of Monte Cassino, which lies on a hilltop between Rome and Naples.

 

While living at Monte Cassino, St. Benedict wrote The Rule of St. Benedict. Consisting of a prologue and 73 short chapters, The Rule describes how to live a Christian life in a community of Monks (or Sisters) and how a monastery should be organized and led. One of the most important documents of Western Civilization, it became the foundation of the Western monastic movement, which helped to spread Christianity, learning, and civilization throughout Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire.

 

Nearly all that we know of the life of St. Benedict comes from the biography written by St. Gregory the Great (ca. 540-604). St. Gregory's biography of St. Benedict is very short, and is available today. St. Benedict died at Monte Cassino in 547. He was buried beside his sister, St. Scholastica (ca. 480-543), who also followed the monastic way of life and remained close to Benedict throughout her life.

 

 St. Scholastica is the patron saint of Benedictine Sisters. Her feast day is celebrated on February 10.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty and everlasting God, your precepts are the wisdom of a loving Father: Give us grace, following the teaching and example of your servant Benedict, to walk with loving and willing hearts in the school of the Lord's service; let your ears be open to our prayers; and prosper with your blessing the work of our hands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Children’s Summer Art Program, the “Art of Listening” starts on Monday, 21 July and ends on Friday, 25 July.  Each day we will start at 10 A.M. and end at 1 P.M. Lunch will be provided.

 

EFM Dinner on 27 July at 6 P.M. at the Taylors’ home.  Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (“EFM”) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EFM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. Please come and learn about the benefits of EFM.  

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J.  Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Jesus Is Always With Us

The appointed Gospel reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church comes from the 24^th chapter of Matthew where we read:

 

As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, ‘You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.’

 

When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah!” and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places: all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs.

 

‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured and will put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But anyone who endures to the end will be saved. And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world, as a testimony to all the nations; and then the end will come. (Mt. 24:1-14).

 

I suppose that every generation that has read this passage has believed that this was all taking place in their day.  And I suppose that it is true.  Nation is always rising against nation, and there are always those who are trying to lead the faithful astray claiming to be coming in the name of Jesus.  But this is also true; Jesus told us that we would not know the hour of his coming again in power and great glory.  Jesus also told us that where 2 or 3 are gathered in his name, he would be in the midst of them.  Jesus also told us that he would be with us to the end of the age.  And so he is.  So when we watch the evening news and we witness war in all parts of the world, when we hear people trying to lead us astray, we can rest assured that Jesus is with us in the here and now no matter what is raging around us.

 

Let us pray:  O God, the King eternal, who divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness while it was day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

IT IS HURRICANE SEASON! ARE YOU PREPARED?  MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE CURRENT.  THE CHURCH HAS PAID ITS INSURANCE PREMIUMS THROUGH SEPTEMBER.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Children’s Summer Art Program, the “Art of Listening” starts on Monday, 21 July and ends on Friday, 25 July.  Each day we will start at 10 A.M. and end at 1 P.M. Lunch will be provided.

 

EFM Dinner on 27 July at 6 P.M. at the Taylors’ home.  Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (“EFM”) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EFM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. Please come and learn about the benefits of EFM.  

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J.  Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

"How Long, O Lord?"

One of the appointed Psalms for the Daily Prayer of the Church is Psalm 13 where the Psalmist prays:

 

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me for ever?

   How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I bear pain in my soul,

   and have sorrow in my heart all day long?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!

   Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,

and my enemy will say, ‘I have prevailed’;

   my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.

But I trusted in your steadfast love;

   my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the Lord,

   because he has dealt bountifully with me.

 

Whether you are in the war torn Middle East or you are weighed down with the problems of an ordinary person in America, this Psalm speaks to your heart.  Sometimes in the midst of our distress, we feel that we have been abandoned by God, that God has forgotten us.  The pain, the feeling of being abandoned, the sorrow and the loneliness can be overwhelming.  Yet the Psalmist trusts in the Lord because he knows that God keeps his promises, that God is ever faithful in his love for us.  In the end, God saves his people.  This is cause to rejoice even in the midst of suffering.  Let us pray by reading Psalm 13 again.

 

IT IS HURRICANE SEASON! ARE YOU PREPARED?  MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE CURRENT.  THE CHURCH HAS PAID ITS INSURANCE PREMIUMS THROUGH SEPTEMBER.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Children’s Summer Art Program, the “Art of Listening” starts on Monday, 21 July and ends on Friday, 25 July.  Each day we will start at 10 A.M. and end at 1 P.M. Lunch will be provided.

 

EFM Dinner on 27 July at 6 P.M. at the Taylors’ home.  Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (“EFM”) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EFM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. Please come and learn about the benefits of EFM.   

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J.  Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

Not So Fast!

The appointed Gospel reading for the Church’s Daily Prayer is taken from Matthew and it is the “woe to you” passage; you can see why:

 

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

 

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, and you say, “If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.” Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.

 

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’ (Mt. 23:27-39).

 

Wow!  How many of us are saying to ourselves right now, “I’m glad I’m not like those scribes and Pharisees!”  Not so fast.  Think about it.  How many times in our lives have we tried to look righteous on the outside fearful of what others might think about us especially if people knew the real us, while at the same time harboring ill will toward others inside?  How many times have we followed every whim and crazy trend vowing that we would never do so?  How many times have we said that we would do one thing, and then do the complete opposite?  But there is good news!  We have one who not only comes in the name of the Lord, but is the Lord himself.  Jesus knows our weaknesses.  All we have to do is to be honest with ourselves, acknowledge them and turn to him.

 

Let us pray:  Holy God, heavenly Father, you formed me from the dust in your image and likeness, and redeemed me from sin and  death by the cross of your Son Jesus Christ.  Through the water of baptism you clothed me with the shining garment of his righteousness, and established me among your children in your kingdom.  But I have squandered the inheritance of your saints, and have wandered far in a land that is waste. Therefore, O Lord, from all my sins, I turn to you in sorrow and repentance.   Receive me again into the arms of your mercy, and restore me to the blessed company of your faithful people; through him in whom you have redeemed the world, your Son our Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

 

IT IS HURRICANE SEASON! ARE YOU PREPARED?  MAKE SURE THAT YOUR INSURANCE PREMIUMS ARE CURRENT.  THE CHURCH HAS PAID ITS INSURANCE PREMIUMS THROUGH SEPTEMBER.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Children’s Summer Art Program, the “Art of Listening” starts on Monday, 21 July and ends on Friday, 25 July.  Each day we will start at 10 A.M. and end at 1 P.M. Lunch will be provided.

 

EFM Dinner on 27 July at 6 P.M. at the Taylors’ home.  Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (“EFM”) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EFM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. Please come and learn about the benefits of EFM.   

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J.  Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

The appointed reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church (also known as the Daily Office) comes from the 8^th chapter of Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome where we read:

 

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

 

We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn within a large family. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Rm. 8:26-30).

 

St. Paul tells you and me: “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”  Sometimes in the midst of difficulties it can be hard to remember that all things work together for good for those who love God who are called according to God’s purpose.  You and I are always in God’s hands; we are called to trust that all things will work out for us as long as we are about God’s work.

 

Let us pray:  Almighty and merciful God, in your goodness keep us, we pray, from all things that may hurt us, that we, being ready both in mind and body, may accomplish with free hearts those things which belong to your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

 

CALENDAR REMINDERS

 

Children’s Summer Art Program, the “Art of Listening” starts on Monday, 21 July and ends on Friday, 25 July.  Each day we will start at 10 A.M. and end at 1 P.M. Lunch will be provided.

 

EFM Dinner on 27 July at 6 P.M. at the Taylors’ home.  Every baptized person is called to ministry. The Education for Ministry (“EFM”) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to "Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them." EFM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service. Please come and learn about the benefits of EFM.   

 

Please remember everyone on our Prayer List.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J.  Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550

New Life in Christ

The appointed Epistle reading for the Daily Prayer of the Church is taken from Paul’s greatest letter, the letter to the Romans.  We read:

 

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and to deal with sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, so that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

 

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. (Rms. 8:1-11).

 

Jesus has made us a new creation!  We live, move and have our being in Jesus.  The Holy Spirit breathes the life of God into our renewed humanity restored in Christ for God the Father.  Therefore, as Paul tells us: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.”  You and I are made new and raised to life through Jesus Christ.

 

Let us pray:  O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your people; let the whole world see and know that things which were being cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made  new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

PLEASE REMEMBER EVERYONE ON OUR PRAYER LIST, especially Sue, Sean, Tom, Jillian, Patricia, Audrey, Lee’s mother and his family, Pat, Julie, all of those who are serving in the Armed Forces, Randy, and Steve.

 

Your servant in Christ,

 

Fr. Chester J. Makowski+

St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church

Galveston, Texas 77550